Re: Measurement equipment for beginners?
Agreed that $500 is a bit short, considering the software and hardware required. Assuming you already have a laptop, you will easily spend half your budget on a mic and IO device. Can't say I'm familiar with all measurement software, but I don't think there is much available for around $300. Though I never bother to look, so may be wrong. I am intimately familiar with Smaart however, full disclosure I'm a co-owner of Rational Acoustics. As Smaart v7 may be cost prohibitive for your budget I wanted to make sure you were aware we will be releasing a new version in the next few weeks. It's called Smaart Di and will retail for $595. It shares much of the functionality of v7, but not all. Given your budget, this may be a more appealing option.
Whatever software you chose, ours or otherwise, I suggest spending a good amount of time getting up to speed on its capabilities as well as doing some measuring at home or in the shop to become familiar with its operation.
Welcome to the test and measurement world.
-A
